Teacher convicted of innapropriate relationship

A Nederland teacher has been sentenced to serve time in state prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually molesting one of his students.

Reagan Hawkins, 37, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury in July 2011 for improper relationship between a student and educator and sexual assault of a child, both second-degree felonies.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Examiner, police were first made aware of the relationship by the 16-year-old’s mother, who told police her daughter had been in a sexual relationship with Hawkins, the girl’s debate coach and teacher.

The mother told police she had noticed some strange behavior between her daughter and Hawkins and confronted her young daughter about the two’s relationship. According to the affidavit, at first, her daughter admitted only that the two had kissed before, but upon pressing her daughter further, the mother got her to eventually admit to a sexual relationship with Hawkins.

According to the affidavit, the victim told police the sexual relationship began in December of 2009 and continued until at least March 2011.

The student, who was 14 years old at the time, also told police she had intercourse with Hawkins at least three times at Nederland High School and they performed oral sex acts on each other at the school and while on a debate trip to Oklahoma.

Two other students at Nederland High School gave statements to police, saying the young victim had confided in them about the relationship with Hawkins.

When he was brought before Judge Layne Walker’s 252nd Criminal District Court, Hawkins pleaded guilty to the offenses and was sentenced to six years in a state institutional division. Hawkins must also register as a sex offender.